


Eve of Destruction

by addledwalrus



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1960s, 1960s Music, Aftermath, Babbling, Babies, Big Sisters, Brother-Sister Relationships, Bus, Childbirth, Childhood, Chores, Cute, Cute Kids, Distrust, Dysfunctional Relationships, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Issues, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Gen, Gender Roles, Historical, Hopeful Ending, Hugs, Husbands, Innocence, Inspired by Music, Intimacy, Leaving Home, Little Brothers, Married Couple, Married Life, Medication, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Military, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Names, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Reading, Returning Home, Reunion Sex, Reunions, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings, Strangers, Toddlers, Vietnam War, Wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 23:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15520794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: Two females adjust to the return of a husband and father from military service.





	1. Part I

**1965**

Under normal circumstances, Judith would have left her job behind to focus solely on being a housewife and mother.

The sight of her husband Rob donning his new uniform drove home how impractical such a future was, for his departure would make her the sole caretaker of their three year old daughter.

She barely managed to suppress the tears upon seeing him emerge from the bathroom with hopelessness in his eyes.

"I...I guess it's time for..."

Rob's voice trailed off as he saw his silent wife and the bewildered young girl staring elsewhere. He felt blood draining from his face while knowing that the possibility of never returning home was something he'd have to accept instead of the hopeful belief that it could never truly happen to him.

Knowing there wasn't much else that could be changed, he swallowed his fear and put on his bravest face.

"You'll take good care of Sharon, I know it. Tell her about me whenever you can..."

"Rob..."

Judith allowed herself to finally display some sadness by curling an arm around his shoulder in what she liked to call a 'half-hug', before letting go and wiping her eyes.

"You'll be alright. Just try to keep yourself safe, please?"

Rob didn't reply and simply allowed her to follow him outside so that they could exchange goodbyes then part ways.

The bus arrived and he avoided looking back upon boarding, out of a wish to preserve them in his memory in such a way that it wouldn't hurt as much to leave the world.


	2. Part II

**1967**

For as long as Sharon could remember, the only parent she had was her mother and though there was plenty of talk about her father being away, the fact that he never showed up lead her to doubt that he was real.

Such a belief was shaken one day when Judith took her to a bus stop so that they could wait in the humid summer air.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Sharon asked, her pigtails bobbing while she fidgeted uncomfortably against the wooden bench.

"Remember what I told you about Daddy?"

"Yes..."

"The man thinks that he fought well and is letting him come home for being good."

Sharon still didn't understand much of what her mother tended to say, but one thing did strike a chord and the five year old tried to imagine what a 'good' man might look like.

Minutes went by and she saw Judith's eyes widen as the bus slowly pulled over before opening it's doors.

A lone man in dull colors stepped out on to the footpath with difficulty and Sharon immediately felt intimidated by his presence.

She remembered a teacher's advice about meeting strangers and tried to get away, though Judith yanked her back by the arm before she could really do so.

"No!" She screamed hysterically as his arms wrapped around her in an unwelcome hug.


	3. Part III

Within a few days, the man whom was apparently her father did much to disturb the peace that Sharon once took for granted.

He had a short temper that could be frightening at times and she quickly learned to recognize the signs of an oncoming outburst, so as to allow herself enough time to create a safe distance.

It was baffling why her mother reserved such a great amount of patience for him, especially when the trouble he made didn't stop at bedtime.

Sharon was often woken up by the sound of screaming followed by him muttering ominous words in a low voice. She would then hear Judith utter comforting words to quieten him down until the cycle began again.

This took a toll on all three of them and after a month had passed, they saw a doctor whom prescribed medicine that calmed him down noticeably over the following weeks.

The loud noises at night decreased and Sharon felt content at being able to sleep tight until morning again.

An odd exception came towards the end of summer as she got out of bed to find the toilet after squrming for several minutes.

She heard loud panting coming from Judith's room on the way back and stopped to listen closely. It sounded like her mother was in pain, so she prepared to push the door open and come to the woman's rescue.

That was when an unmistakably deep voice startled her. She pulled her hand back and fled back to bed to lie quietly beneath the sheets.


	4. Part IV

**1968**

"Sharon, could you pick the spoon up for me?" Judith requested with a heavy sigh as she tried and failed once again to touch the floor.

The six year old emerged from the living room without question and retrieved the piece of cutlery before tentatively handing it over.

"Thank you, darling..."

"Hmph."

Sharon pouted and ran straight off to catch up on cartoons. Judith watched her disappear while thinking about how the girl still hadn't acknowledged Rob as a father and was predictably upset about a potential younger sibling.

While this was an understandable reason for any child to be bitter, the fact that it had been going on for a year filled Judith with concern and she prayed Sharon wouldn't shun the new baby over some imagined betrayal.

She called for assistance a second time so that the radio could be turned on and provide her with some pleasant music.

Her heart sank when she was greeted again by psychedelic rock in all it's cacophany. She hastily begged for the frequency to be changed whilst wishing for the more wholesome songs of her teenage years.

* * *

"Oh God...oh God..."

Sharon heard the panicked muttering and followed it to where Judith was crouched on the floor, clutching her large belly while a puddle of water lay nearby.

"Mom..."

Judith suppressed her pain and looked up at Sharon with clenched teeth.

"There's a list of numbers taped near the phone. Call the second last one and tell them our address..."

Sharon continued to stare blankly as if she didn't understand the urgency, prompting Judith to loudly repeat the instructions.

She bolted into action without a word and fumbled at the receiver while trying to interpret various numbers and letters as best as she could.

"Please be quick. There's no time..." Judith whispered in pain after a very strong contraction made it clear that this second baby was in quite a hurry to be born.


	5. Part V

Rob didn't learn of Judith going into labor until after he'd spent a whole night being overworked by his own tyrannical father at the auto repair shop.

The combined stress of impossible expectations, traumatic memories from his military service and pressure to be a caring father all converged to send him into a state of complete panic upon returning home.

Everything the midwife tried to tell him fell on unresponsive ears as he failed to recognize her words as even belonging to the English language.

It was evening again when the sound of his new child's cries eased him back into a feeling of normalcy, before realizing that he hadn't taken any medication for three days.

Sharon cautiously entered the living room moments later to sit a safe distance away from him. She stared down at the floor and avoided eye contact while delivering Judith's request.

"Mom wants you to help name him..."


	6. Part VI

**1969**

Sharon ran straight home after school so that she could spend as much time with her baby brother as possible.

She had tried hard during the first few months to shun his presence, though such an effort was a lost cause for anyone with a heart. There was just no resisting his wide brown eyes, chubby cheeks and tiny hands that tried to grab at anything within arm's reach.

He was doing just that when she dashed through the front door and into the living room. She knelt down on the floor to observe him at play until he sensed something more engaging.

"Sister." He mumbled, raising his arms and attempting to stand while she pulled a book from her bag.

"I'm Sharon."

"Shawon."

"No. Sha-ron."

"Sha-won."

She gave up before resigning herself to just sitting down and reading. He fell back on all fours and crawled over to grab at the book's pages.

"Hey, stop it."

"Bear!" He exclaimed, using her shoulder to prop himself up as he pointed towards an eye-catching picture.

"Yes, bear." She said with a nod of encouragement, which prompted him to give a toothless smile.

They continued on like this for an hour or so until Judith purposefully entered the living room and hoisted Michael up for another diaper change.

She quickly grew bored in his absence and wandered towards her room to play with the G.I. Joe action figure that had almost been usurped by Chatty Cathy.

The discovery of a neatly written note resting in the box beside the miniature soldier filled her with surprise that only increased as she read it.

_Dear Sharon,_

_I'll show you how to ride a bike this weekend. What do you say?_

_Your Dad, Robert_

Sharon scrunched the slip of paper up in her fist and took a deep breath while unsure what to make of this spontaneous gesture of friendliness.

"He never says things like that..." She muttered to herself in suspicion as she shifted into a foetal position to contemplate the truth.

Unbeknownst to the seven year old, it was Judith whom had persuaded Rob to leave the note as a first step to getting to know his daughter.


End file.
